


New Year, Old Rachel

by JustLikeTheSong



Series: NYC Spin-Off 'Verse [13]
Category: Glee
Genre: Drama, F/F, F/M, Friendship, M/M, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-01-22
Updated: 2013-01-22
Packaged: 2017-11-26 10:38:39
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,643
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/649654
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JustLikeTheSong/pseuds/JustLikeTheSong
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A standalone "webisode":  Kurt, Blaine, Santana, and Rachel host a New Years' party at their loft.  With Rachel on the rebound from her rebound, the fallout isn't pretty.</p>
            </blockquote>





	New Year, Old Rachel

“I feel like I’ve been scarred for life,” [Kurt](http://24.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_menk4pHMBC1qfbgyfo1_500.gif) muttered, staring at the coffee table covered in used glasses right in front of him.  He was sitting on the floor, and he figured he must still be shell-shocked, because he was barely aware of [Blaine](http://blog.zap2it.com/pop2it/darren-criss-gq-2.jpg) sitting behind him on the couch and massaging his shoulders.  After all, it wasn’t every day he had a screaming match with his best friend at a party right in front of his boss.

[Rachel](http://images.sugarscape.com/userfiles/image/SEPTEMBER2012/Jess/1409-lea-michele-glee-premiere2.jpg) was curled up into a tiny ball on the recliner, her heavy make-up still smudged under her eyes, nose red and hair a mess.  [Santana](http://s3.amazonaws.com/curvio-production/app/public/system/screenshots/5826/original/Red%20Fitted%20Dress%20with%20Cut%20Out%20in%20back.jpg?1367025861) sat on the love seat  lips pursed, looking equal parts amused and annoyed.  A mildly drunk and very sleepy [Brittany](http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_wJ5yx9DvdaU/TIVG9X9WioI/AAAAAAAAANo/sYTXJPJ84gU/s400/heather-morris-nylon-magazine-4.jpg) half-dozed in her lap as she petted her girlfriend’s long blond hair absently.

Rachel lifted her eyes and stared at Kurt petulantly, sniffling.  She winced when [Cooper](http://images2.fanpop.com/image/photos/14600000/Matt-Bomer-matt-bomer-14644861-325-475.jpg) came out of the bathroom and grabbed his coat, clearing his throat.

“Well, guys, this was a really fun party.  It looks like everyone else has left, so, Blainey, I think I’ll just get a hotel room for the night.  You’ve got a full house here, anyway, and I need my beauty sleep.”

Behind Kurt, Blaine shifted.  “Uh, yeah, okay Coop.  Have a good night.”

There was a long, awkward pause, and then Cooper strode over to Rachel with a spring in his step and gave her a kiss on the forehead.  Kurt gaped at him and Santana gave him her best glare.

“Have a great night, cutie,” Cooper said to Rachel, his voice over-bright and full of false cheer.  He left the loft with a wink and a point of his finger in the general direction of where they were all sitting.

“Holy crap,” Santana said as soon as the door shut, “I mean, I know we were all in love with him last year because, hello, celebrity, but Blaine, your brother is kind of a douchebag.”

Blaine huffed out half a laugh.  “I know.”

“I don’t understand how I’m more upset about this than you,” Kurt bit out, tilting his head in Blaine’s direction, “he’s your brother!  Then again, you’re not the one who’s probably going to get  _fired_  on Monday because he was reduced to screeching at glass-shattering levels in a ridiculously unprofessional manner in front of his boss because of Rachel’s never-ending need to make a spectacle of herself!”

Rachel burst into tears again and everyone else, save Brittany, groaned.  Brittany did stir, though, and rubbed her eyes, sitting up next to Santana as she gave Rachel a pitying stare.

“Rachel, even in your ugliest animal sweater, you have never looked so pathetic.  If Lord Tubbington were here, he’d be laughing at you.”

Rachel sobbed louder and Blaine and Santana admonished Brittany softly.  She merely shrugged.  “I’m not laughing at her, but Lord Tubbington totally would because he’s super mean.”

“She’s right,” Kurt said, raising his chin and then looking over at Rachel, “you are a disaster, Rachel Berry.”  He tried to sound judgemental but his tone was a lot kinder than he’d been aiming for.

“None of you know what it’s like!  You’re all in your happy relationships with someone to kiss to bring in the New Year, and I’m a-all alone!” Rachel cried, snatching the hanky Blaine pulled from his blazer to offer her and burying her face in it, the picture of delicate distress and tragic beauty, if not for the loud honk that soon followed.  “I’m all alone in New York, when I should be having a beautiful romance instead!  A-and Brody slept with Cassandra  _again_ , even though h-he promised he wouldn’t, and I just wanted to feel  _wanted_  and special-“

“To be fair, it was really stupid to believe that asshole,” Santana mused.

Rachel dissolved into noisy, incoherent crying once again.

Kurt closed his eyes at the sound of her sobbing and tried to will away the images of Rachel and Cooper half undressed and pawing at each other in the front-door closet, a sight that not only he and Blaine, but also Isabelle, had been treated to.  After that, things were kind of a blur, because he had maybe had a couple too many glasses of the punch Santana had prepared for the night (he was starting to suspect she put in more vodka than she claimed), and he lost his temper out of sheer mortification and frustration.  He and Rachel hadn’t had a fight in a long time, and their epic yelling match had effectively put an end to their otherwise successful New Year’s party, with Isabelle and her usual entourage making a hasty exit, followed quickly by Santana’s NYU friends, Mike and Tina, and Rachel and Blaine’s NYADA classmates.

He buried his head in his hands, and just hoped Isabelle woke up with no recollection of the night’s events.

Blaine leaned forward and whispered into his ear: “And that is why I’m not more upset right now.”  He nodded towards their distraught friend, whose cheeks were now streaked with mascara.  “But believe me; I’ll be having a chat with Cooper over lunch.”

Kurt leaned back into Blaine’s comforting touch.  He understood what Blaine was saying: he couldn’t deal with his concerns about Isabelle until Monday anyway, and Rachel clearly needed some support, even if he was angry with her.

Santana had apparently reached a similar conclusion.  “Berry, being special doesn’t mean changing everything about yourself for some replacement-Finn just so you won’t feel lonely.”  She paused and rolled her eyes with a sigh.  “Look, you dumped Grody’s ass the minute you found out he was still bumping uglies with your admittedly hot but psychotic teacher, so that tells me you still have some self-respect.”

“New Rachel is pretty but I still like the old one who wore knee socks and talked about Broadway instead of Brody,” Brittany added with a nod.

Rachel looked up, eyes watery, and her gaze shifted to Kurt and Blaine beseechingly.

Kurt sighed and moved to sit beside Blaine.  “Come here, drama queen.”  He leaned against Blaine as Rachel hesitantly got up and shuffled over, sitting down and curling into Kurt’s side, burying her face against his shirt.

“Don’t act like you weren’t a total drama queen tonight, too, Screech,” Santana said with a baleful stare, “I think the two of you shattered one of my ear drums.”

“Don’t remind me,” Kurt groaned, “Isabelle is never going to come to another one of my parties.  If she even lets me keep my job.”

“It’s all my fault,” Rachel whimpered, managing to make everything about her even when she apologized for something, “I’m so sorry, Kurt.  I know you, more than anyone, have been trying to support me and help me with the Brody thing and I let you down, and then I embarrassed you in front of your boss…”

“Okay, okay,” Kurt grumbled rubbing her shoulder despite himself, relieved that some things about Rachel, like her ability to demand center stage in any situation, would never change, “just, no more crying tonight, alright?  I’m getting a headache and I’m still too tipsy to be hung over.”

Blaine kissed his temple.  “I’m sure everything will be fine with Isabelle.  On her way out, she told me to tell you to call her tomorrow if you needed to get out of the apartment and vent.”

Kurt let out a breath.  “That woman is a saint.”

Rachel was pouting now, and changing gears.  “I’m still your best friend, though, right?”

“Rachel, you know I love you, but you’ve got to figure out how to fall in love with yourself again instead of relying on some guy to,” Kurt chided her gently, ignoring Santana’s amused snort, “because you are becoming ridiculous, and not in the annoying, but classic, Ms. Berry manner.”

“And trust me, Rachel, Cooper is far too in love with himself to help you feel better,” Blaine told her.

Rachel fell silent, staring at her lap, which was how Kurt knew she was actually processing all the things they’d told her.

“Well,” Santana said, breaking the silence and standing up, clasping Brittany’s hand and hauling her up beside her, “Today’s Rachel Is The Center of the Universe hour appears to be up, so I think it’s time for bed.” She grinned wickedly.

“She means we’re going to go have awesome lady sex now,” Brittany explained needlessly as Santana pulled her away, “and we found out this new thing we really like when Santana visited me last time, so it’s going to be really loud.”

“None of us are getting any sleep tonight,” Blaine said with resignation.

“That probably wasn’t going to happen anyway,” Kurt told him smartly, and then raised his voice, “since I would’ve probably had nightmares about Cooper and Rachel half-naked and sweating all over Isabelle’s brand new Chanel coat.”

Rachel gasped, scandalized, as if that wasn’t exactly what had happened, and Blaine’s face scrunched up into a pained grimace.

“Great!” Santana yelled from her corner of the loft, “I didn’t need that visual, Hummel!”

“Neither did I,” he called back cheerfully.

“Don’t worry,” Brittany assured them, “I can definitely use it.”

Kurt frowned when Santana let out a breathy moan two seconds later and shooed Rachel away so he could cuddle up to his boyfriend.  “There is far too much sex happening in this apartment that doesn’t involve you and me,” he said with a pout, and then quirked his eyebrow in curiosity at Blaine’s mischievous grin.

“Well, considering that Cooper owes me big time after tonight, I know I can get us a hotel room at The Plaza for the weekend, his treat.”

Kurt smiled and leaned in for a kiss, vowing that he’d never admit to Rachel that there was an upside to seeing her dry-humping his future brother-in-law in a closet.


End file.
